I've damaged the rear of my car which will cost approx. $1500 to fix (dent & scratches). My excess is $600 & I've never claimed on car insurance & I've got the maximum no claim bonus. My car insurance premium is at a relatively decent price because of this. I'm trying to work out the lesser of the two evils of how much my next premium renewal would be cranked up by because I made a claim or just paying for the repairs out of my own pocket. I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback with their own experience in regards to making an at fault claim on their own car & how much their next car insurance renewal was cranked up by?
At Fault Car Insurance Claims & Renewal Premiums
Reggie74 on 06/01/2017 - 15:14
Comments
Is it worth a shot at contacting my car insurance company & seeing if they would do a gesture of goodwill by me claiming the damage through them & not raising my next renewal & in return I pay my current car insurance renewal with them (stay with them due to loyalty) that's due in the next few weeks? Kind of a 'you scratch my back & I'll scratch yours' scenario.
Personally I probably wouldn't bother asking, because you're pretty much assured an answer of no. But in saying that there's probably no harm in trying. For your insurance provider to assess the situation and consider their position in all of this they'd need a lot of information (similar to what you'd have to provide if you were making a claim). I would probably ask around at a few more panel repairers for quotations (and some would give you a good discount if you pay in cash) and see if you can bring the price down that way.
At least that would make more effective use of your time than calling someone in a call centre far, far away who have been specifically trained to give you scripted answers stickytaped next to their computer.
Thanks for the info.
+1 It will depend on how much your premium is at the moment but on average you'll probably spend over $900 over the next few years in increased premiums.
Thanks for the info.
How long have you been with your current insurer?
Some insurers will keep your no claim bonus same even if you lodge a claim.
This is my case and I've been with NRMA for about 6 years now and have multiple policies.
Unless you have rating 1 protection or have an expensive car, I'd leave the damage and hope that you someone rear ends you :O
If you tell your insurance company about the accident, they will raise your premium whether you claim or not.
If you don't tell them about the accident, you'll be breaking the terms of your policy, and they may refuse any future claims.
If you don't repair the damage, you will be breaking the terms of your policy and they may refuse any future claims.
Sorry, but insurance companies only exist to make money, not be nice to you.
Just switch to NRMA and put it in your partner's name as NRMA cover any driver and the insurance claim questions will only relate to your partner.
Your best bet would be to hop onto some insurance sites and getting some quotes yourself.
When you come across the questions relating to your driving history, list your most recent incident and no NCD.
This method would be the best way to figure out what damage an insurance claim would do for oyu.